Regional Digest: Trinity Men's Golf Coach Detrick Retires

July 18, 2013|From press releases, The Hartford Courant

Bill Detrick Retires — Again

Bill Detrick, the New England Small College Athletic Conference Golf Coach of the Year three times, has announced his retirement after 23 years as coach of the Trinity College golf team. Detrick arrived at Trinity in the spring of 1991 after a 29-year career as men's basketball coach at Central Connecticut State University, where the gymnasium bears his name. The Bantams qualified for tseven NESCAC tournaments, winning the league title and qualifying for the NCAA Division III championships in 2009-10. Trinity golfers have claimed NESCAC Player of the Year honors in six of the last eight years. In Detrick's final campaign, the Bantams won the 2012 NESCAC fall qualifying tournament, earning the right to host the championship tourney in the spring, and finished as the 2013 NESCAC championship runner-up. Detrick also is the all-time winningest basketball coach at Central Connecticut, his alma mater, with 468 career victories, and led the Blue Devils to the NCAA Division II Tournament six times.

Eastern Names LaBranche

Matt LaBranche, former head coach at Western New England University, has been named baseball coach at Eastern Connecticut State University. LaBranche, 43, was 429-187 in 14 years at WNEU. He is a native of Windham, N.H., and was a catcher at Springfield College, Last spring, Eastern posted its 12th season of at least 30 wins in the past 13 years and its 29th since 1973, finishing 30-13-1.

McCombs On Watch List

UConn junior running back Lyle McCombs is on the Doak Walker Award Watch list, along with 62 other players. The award goes to the nation's top running back. McCombs has led UConn in rushing the past two seasons. He had 1,151 yards rushing in 2011 and was named a freshman All-American by the Football Writers Association of America. Last year, he led the Huskies with 860 yards on 243 carries. He enters 2013 sixth in career carries at UConn with 518 and fifth in net yards a game at 87.4. The winner of the Doak Walker Award, in its 24th year and named after SMU's three-time All-America running back, will be announced Dec. 12.

Huskies Help In U-19 Win

With three UConn players in the starting lineup, the U.S. women had no trouble on Thursday, opening the Under-19 World Championships with a 98-40 win over host team Lithuania. Breanna Stewart led all scorers with 26 points. Morgan Tuck scored 18 and Moriah Jefferson had eight. The U.S. plays China on Friday and Mali on Saturday before heading into the second round on Monday.

UHart's Russell Wins

Evan Russell, playing at Green Mountain National Golf Course in Killington, Vt., a course he has played many times before, won the 84th New England Amateur Championship with a 54-hole score of 5-under par 208. Russell just finished his freshman year at the University of Hartford. "It means a lot to win in Vermont," said Russell, the first Vermont player to win the title in his home state. Brad Valois, from Rhode Island, was second at 209. Zach Zaback from Connecticut (TPC River Highlands) was third at 211.

In The Minors ...

The Binghamton Mets rallied for three runs in the top of the ninth to beat the New Britain Rock Cats 4-3 at New Britain Stadium Thursday night. Eddie Rosario was the hitting star for the Rock Cats, with a solo home run and an RBI single. A two-run single by Rhyne Hughes in the ninth was the big hit for Binghamton. ... The Connecticut Tigers fell 10-0 to the Jamestown Jammers in Jamestown, N.Y., Thursday night. Kasey Coffman was 2-for-4 for the Tigers.